Cognitive Science Program

We support interdisciplinary connections and resources across the physical and social sciences, encouraging students and faculty to pursue research that spans many departments. Cognitive Science studies the fundamental workings of cognition and the mind. It investigates perception, action, language, knowledge, development, and thinking from multiple perspectives—theoretical, experimental, and computational. 

Cognitive Science prepares students for graduate studies or work in areas that require a combination of technical skills, scientific reasoning, social and psychological sophistication, and excellent writing and speaking skills.

In the Field…

Gordon Pennycook:

• Published a commentary in Current Opinion in Psychology, titled “Editorial overview: The psychology of misinformation.”  This is an editorial overview for a special issue that Lisa Fazio and Gordon Pennycook edited. The special issue can be found here.
• Was designated as the Dorothy and Ariz Mehta Faculty Leadership Fellow in the College of Arts & Sciences for a five-year period from July 2025 through June 2030.

Valerie Reyna:

• Received the Lifetime Achievement Award to honor and individual who has made long-lasting and distinguished theoretical and empirical contributions to basic research in experimental psychology, awarded by the Society for Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Science.

• Was awarded a new grant as principal investigator from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institute of Standards and Technology, titled “The Science of Substantial Similarity in AI-related Copyright Violations: Advancing Trustworthy AI.”

• Was interviewed on the American Psychological Association (APA) podcast, “Speaking of Psychology”.  Episode 348: “Teens, AI, and the science of risky decisions” which went live on September 24.

Cognitive Science Community Updates

Prof. Morten Christiansen Receives Distinguished Cognitive Scientist Award from Cognitive & Information Sciences Department at UC Merced